Poetry in the Music Classroom Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Poetry can be a great tool to teach your music students about rhythm, meter, and composition. If you find the prospect of teaching poetry scary or intimidating, check out these new resources to turn you and your students on to this amazing art form!
Sound Poems-By Cristi Cary Miller
Enjoy more interactive listening and reading fun with Sound Poems! Give your students the opportunity to experience classic poetry, famous speeches and documents of history like never before! These 18 reproducible poems contain highlighted words that, when read, indicate special instrumental sounds and rhythmic motifs are to be played by your students. If you don’t have all the instruments suggested, substitute or consider body percussion. There are many choices to create your presentation. The teaching suggestions provide a framework for instruction, but can be manipulated to best fit your students abilities. The enclosed CD-ROM offers projectable and printable options. You can read the poem or select several of your students to read. And don t forget about the possibility of acting out these poems. It will only make the experience richer for your students as well as add a lot of enjoyment. Doesn’t this “sound” like fun? You bet!
Helping your students to compose quality melodies and arrangements can be quite a challenge. But thanks to the ingenious approach outlined in “Poetic License,” your students will become thoughtful composers able to take pride in their compositions. The step-by-step, reproducible worksheets in this resource will guide your students to turn poems into songs. As your students work to compose pleasant and singable melodies, duets, and arrangements, they will also learn to count intervals, create chords, and explore expressive techniques. You won’t want to miss this unique resource, complete with eighteen reproducible compositional worksheets, organized by concept and difficulty. Appropriate for grades 2-6.
Looking for more great resources for the music classroom? Call Stanton’s at 1-800-426-8742 and ask to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff members!